Charlie: Outcome of Coroner's Inquest

Charlie's parents believe that he was let down by the care he received at birth, resulting in brain damage and again when he became unwell at four and a half years of age, resulting in him sadly dying.

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Press release statement issued on behalf of Charlie's parents following the inquest on 10 November 2016, by Diane Rostron.

Charlie was our beautiful little boy. He was born very early and unfortunately we believe that mistakes were made during his delivery causing him to be very badly bruised. In turn, we believe that this caused him to bleed into his brain, causing him brain damage. After many months in hospital he was able to come home with us. Despite his many problems, he was very much loved by us, his parents, and by his brothers and sisters. He was a very important part of all our lives, and his life, although different from able bodied children, was full of joy and purpose.

In March of this year, Charlie became very agitated and upset and we took him into Blackpool Victoria Hospital. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and, against our expectations, was discharged home the same day on an antibiotic. We only agreed to take him home because we were assured that the pneumonia had been caught early and that the antibiotic would soon ‘kick-in’. Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated and the next day we took him back to Blackpool Victoria Hospital. The inquest heard that he was admitted at lunchtime. He was requiring oxygen and was bleeding. Despite this, he was not seen by a doctor until mid-afternoon and no investigations or treatment was provided until early evening. Sadly by then it was too late. He was transferred on a life support system to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool where he died. We were told that he had died from sepsis.

The Coroner decided that he had died of natural causes. It is our sincere belief that his death could have been prevented if our concerns had been listened to and acted upon. We believe that he was let down both at the start and the end of his life. In between he had some very good care from a number of doctors and nurses, and as a family we pay tribute to them. However, we believe that Charlie should not have suffered the brain damage he did at birth and that he should not have died when he did and in the manner he did. We have been assisted by our Solicitor, Diane Rostron, and with her on-going help we will fight for the justice Charlie deserves.